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Romain Grosjean Completes One-Off Haas F1 Test at Mugello

The heritage run under F1’s Testing of Previous Cars program reunited him with former engineers for a symbolic farewell.

Overview

  • He drove the 2023 VF-23 in wet conditions, marking his first time back in an F1 cockpit since the 2020 Bahrain crash.
  • Ayao Komatsu acted as his race engineer with Dominic Haines and Ian Staniforth among the familiar crew on site.
  • Grosjean wore the helmet his children designed for his aborted 2020 Abu Dhabi farewell.
  • He performed a standing start and said initial rust faded, then was moved to tears by a pitlane ovation from Haas, Ferrari, Red Bull and Pirelli staff.
  • James Hinchcliffe also sampled the VF-23 for an F1TV feature, with the outing enabled by Haas’s 2025 TPC program in collaboration with Toyota Gazoo Racing.